‘Tiaan?’ called the scrutator after changing the setting of the farspeaker. ‘It’s Flydd. What’s happening?’
‘The depression in the field is still moving towards Ossury.’
Flydd paced back and forth, his lips moving. He cast a glance at the general, who was staring at the wall. Flydd sat down with head in hands. Nish was glad the decision wasn’t his to make.
‘My men are dying, Scrutator,’ said Troist. ‘If you’re wrong, the three rivers of Lybing will flow red for a week. You’re gambling everything on Tiaan and, to be frank, her history doesn’t inspire confidence. Wasn’t she out of her mind in Nennifer?’
He pressed his knuckles into his stomach, his face grey with pain. Nish passed over the flask containing Troist’s latest remedy, a noxious yellow potion. Troist swigged half a flask, though it seemed no more efficacious than the green sludge he’d resorted to previously.
Flydd bit his lip. ‘Tiaan has never let me down. Besides, Malien is with her. We hold firm for another hour.’
The farspeaker emitted a farting burp. ‘Xervish Flydd,’ said a deadly voice whose tones came through quite unchanged. ‘Grand Commander Orgestre here. This is madness. Will you twiddle your thumbs until the enemy have destroyed us all?’
‘It’s a feint,’ said Flydd desperately. ‘As soon as we turn south they’ll be onto us.’
‘You’ve lost your mind. You are dismissed from command of our forces.’
‘I don’t hold command, and if the governor and the generals no longer have confidence in me they can say so.’
‘General Troist,’ said Orgestre, shrilly. ‘I order you to take Flydd into custody and render him up to me. You are to come south at once and defend Lybing.’
‘You don’t have the power to give orders to me, Orgestre,’ said Troist, who had gone the colour of his elixir. ‘My army is not from Borgistry.’
‘Then who do you obey, surr?’ Orgestre ground out. ‘Think carefully before you answer. You know the penalty for treason.’
Troist took a long time to answer. ‘I do know the penalty, surr, and I take my orders from Xervish Flydd, the head of the Council of Scrutators. He has asked me to wait another hour, and wait I will.’
‘You will regret this, General Troist.’
‘We may all regret it, surr, though not for very long.’
‘I hope I can repay your trust,’ said Flydd after Orgestre had gone.
Troist sank the rest of the potion and continued to knuckle his rebellious belly. The hour passed with agonising slowness. More reports came in, of isolated squads slaughtered to the last man.
Nish turned the hourglass, setting it down with a clatter.
Flydd’s eyes flicked to the glass. ‘I’ll contact Tiaan again.’
‘And if there is no concrete news?’ said Troist.
‘I fear we must turn back to Lybing. Tiaan?’ he called.
‘Still the same,’ Tiaan’s voice came clearly over the whine of the thapter.
‘Can I speak to Malien?’
‘Yes, Xervish?’ said Malien.
‘The enemy are attacking all around the borders. We’ve lost thousands of men already and if they’re really heading for Lybing …’
‘Are you asking me to back up Tiaan’s report?’
‘If she’s wrong, Lybing will be destroyed and the west will fall. I need confirmation.’
‘I’m not able to see the effect that Tiaan has reported,’ said Malien, ‘but I have no reason to doubt her.’
‘In any respect?’ A river of sweat ran down Flydd’s cheek.
‘If you’re questioning her sanity, have the goodness to speak plainly.’
‘The world is at stake here, Malien.’
‘Then you have quite a decision to make,’ she said coldly. The farspeaker cut off.
Flydd wiped his face with a rag that was already drenched with sweat. ‘What am I to do, Nish? How am I to decide?’
‘I don’t know, surr.’
‘The effect Tiaan’s seeing must be a decoy – a spread-out group of lyrinx carrying node-drainers. They’ve lured us here so they can destroy the rest of Borgistry unhindered. That has to be it. I can’t delay any longer. Order the turnabout, General.’
Troist sprang to the farspeaker and changed the setting. ‘Captains, this is General Troist. Turn back to Lybing immediately. Follow Plan Three.’
The orders had just been repeated when the farspeaker squealed.
‘This is Tiaan. I can see the enemy, surr. Surr?’
Flydd jumped out of his seat. ‘Where are they?’
‘They’re coming out of the forest in their thousands, from the point where the Great North Road meets the forest, then west for a couple of leagues. There’s thousands of them.’
After a long pause, Malien added, ‘I’d say tens of thousands.’
‘Thank you! Thank you, Tiaan and Malien. Stay on watch.’ There were tears